1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to skateboards, and more particularly to illuminated skateboards.
2. Description of Related Art
Skateboards, roller blades, and similar products have gained increasing popularity in recent years, primarily for sports and recreational purposes. While the basic structure of a skateboard has remained fairly standard, more recently lighting systems have been added to skateboards and similar products for both safety and for the attention-getting effects. Known skateboard lighting systems include the following:
Copley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,277, teaches an illuminated skateboard that includes a riding platform with dependent wheels, a front housing and rear housing each secured to the bottom surface of the riding platform. An illumination source in each housing is operable to provide the desired illumination while riding the skateboard.
Ekedal et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,141, teaches a skateboard comprising a rotatable disk mounted on the top surface of the skateboard's riding platform surface for rotatably maneuvering the skateboard in different directions. The skateboard may include front and rear illumination sources mounted within respective front and rear housings secured to the underside of the riding platform.
Standley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,058, teaches an improved skateboard having roller trucks attached to the underside of the skateboard deck. The trucks are insulated from the skateboard deck by riser pads of sufficient thickness to receive and house self-contained battery operated lamps. The lamps are positioned to direct light beams from beneath the deck in fore and aft directions. Switch means in the lamps are operable to turn the lamps on and off.
Wood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,196, teaches improvements to a skateboard comprising a board having a complete string of LED's embedded in a groove around the periphery of the skateboard in the first embodiment, powered by a microcontroller and a battery mounted to the underside of the board. In the second embodiment, along the same lines, a kit is provided wherein skid bars have the LED's mounted in them, connected by wiring leading to the microcontroller and battery. The kit can be sold for after-market use, and may consist of just the two side boards, or the rear skid board as well, often called the kick board.
Won, U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,256, teaches a combination of a skateboard and electronic device for generating sound and/or light. The electronic device is affixed under the skateboard and a switch means is provided that can be operated by stepping on an operating element thereof.
Maier, U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,494, teaches a generator and rechargeable battery system disclosed for attachment to a ski having an electrically operable load. The invention comprises a rechargeable battery system in which the generator and/or battery can intermittently power a load such as a heating element of a ski boot. The rechargeable battery is detachable and may be recharged by the generator or in the home. Through the use of connecting wires, the generator and rechargeable battery system can be used to supply current to lights affixed to the ski and to power other electrical appliances.
Tuyn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,585, teaches a measuring and indicating device for a snow skier including a rotatable roller attachable to the rear of a ski and adapted to rotate in rolling contact with the underlying snow utilizing an indicator unit positionable remote of the roller such as upon the wrist of the skier. The device further includes elements supported adjacent the roller for sensing the rotation thereof and generating signals corresponding to the sensed rotation. The indicator unit includes a calculator for receiving the signals generated by the sensing elements and calculating a predetermined characteristic, such as speed or distance, of travel by the snow skier corresponding to the received signals. The indicator unit further includes a display for displaying the calculated characteristic in the form of a numerical value. The device further includes a connecting mechanism interposed between the roller and the ski permitting pivotal movement of the roller between a raised and lowered condition in relation to the rear of the ski and a spring for biasing the roller from the raised condition to the lowered condition so that if the rear end of the ski were to be raised an appreciable distance above the surface of the snow, the roller is maintained in rolling engagement with the underlying snow for measurement calculations. The device is particularly well-suited for accurately measuring a predetermined characteristic of travel even if the ski is tipped upon one side or the other.
Okko et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,432, teaches a method and an adjustable portable illumination device, removably attachable to a user's shoe or garment, enabling hands-free operation, and allowing the user to see and be seen. The device has a light housing, a light assembly having an illumination member encapsulated in the light housing, a power source for providing power to the illumination member, a movable plate, attached to the light housing and a light housing attaching member for removably attaching the light housing to the top frontal area of a user's shoe, or on an other article of clothing. The movable plate has a swivel member attached to the movable plate, for vertical positioning of the light housing at an adjustable angle between 20 and 70 degrees relative to the ground. The leg is adjustably and fixedly attached to the top of the movable plate with a rotatable mechanical member and a frictional member, whereby allowing a three-hundred sixty degree rotation of the light housing for horizontal repositioning thereof and for orienting it to a selectively chosen fixed angular position, maintained by the frictional member.